For most of his life, Angel has been a migrant worker, helping his family as they move from place to place picking crops. When a phone won't work, Angel enlists "Big Joe's" aid to repair it and from then on a friendship develops. Joe and the boy team up to start a rose-growing business. A call from Angel's father comes, the family must leave. Angel can stay with Joe and the promise of a future, or he can go with his family and continue in the uncertain lifestyle of his parents.

AWARDS:
Academy Award (Oscar); Best Live Action Short Film of 1975
American Library Association;Notable Chidrens Film Award
National Education Film Festival Award
Chicago Film Festival Award
Columbus Film Festival Award


This movie is part of the collection: Academic Film Archive of North America

Director: Bert Salzman
Producer: Bert Salzman
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Keywords: Bert Salzman; Academy Award;

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Reviewer: Robert B. Livingston - - January 3, 2012
Subject: A thoughtful and uplifting short film

The Internet Archive has some gems hidden within it. It is really too bad that it can often be hard to discover them.

Here is one short film really worth seeing. I am writing this review hoping it will get noticed.

If you are searching around looking for something that is not tawdry, pedestrian, or gimmicky-- if you appreciate good acting, and also want to feel a bit more enlightened while being entertained-- try watching this.

And write a short review so this film keeps getting noticed.

Be sure to watch another great film by Bert Salzman here at the Internet Archive: The Shopping Bag Lady.

Reviewer: Murray Suid - - June 15, 2007
Subject: A timeless movie
The Internet Archive seems like a good idea. I'm all for giving scholars and historians resources for their work.

But when I viewed Bert Salzman's amazing ANGEL AND BIG JOE, it wasn't as if I were witnessing a classic. Rather, I felt the same way I do when watching the latest first-rate movie: it was pure here-and-now.

Because ANGEL is about realities that are always important to human beings--friendship, family, ambition, loyalty, dreams--this film will never grow old. While it may be of interest to scholars and historians, this short movie will surely be valued by "ordinary" people who simply love to watch great movies.

ANGEL AND BIG JOE is excellent in every way a movie can stand out: story, characterizations, dialogue, acting, cinematography, locations, music, editing.

I've seen the picture several times, and it gets better with each viewing. I believe that audiences in the future will feel the same way. And that's another reason for cheering this Archive.